“I was sick of the senseless smashing up of our own communities. It’s good to see there’s a real sense of community with people from all over Liverpool — a vicar, mums, and students — coming to help.”

~Anna Mason, 16, who, after reading in Facebook about clean-up efforts, joined the community with broom in hand.

After all the coverage of riots and burning and breaking, here’s a heart-warming story coming out of England. Flocks of people are taking to the streets of London, Liverpool, and other areas with their brooms in hand to help restore their streets and sidewalks after the riots. At the heart of community is the enduring spirit of a people who weather the tumult of history and move forward.

It’s worth pointing out that, nearly six months ago, a similar sense of community bonding was taking place in Cairo with wonderful images of volunteers scrubbing down streets and one of the iconic lion statues at the Qasr el-Nil bridge leading to Tahrir Square after the protests. A bit of the connective tissue of humanity binds us together, non?

(photo: John Moore/Getty Images)

About the lead image: People show their brooms to Boris Johnson, mayor of London, as they prepare to clean their streets in Clapham Junction, in south London. (photo: Paul Ellis/AFP/Getty Images)